Why are Muslims being crushed
by the non-Muslim forces? Why are Muslims being tortured pitilessly? Why is our
power, our status, our respect in the world decreasing day by day? Why is
Allah’s help not coming to us when Allah helped the Sahabahs in all their
battles?
I’m sure such questions would have crossed every mind. Even I had such questions
popping up in my mind when, one day, while attending my tafseer class, I got the
answer. Our teacher told us that Iman is of two types:
1. Iman Mojud (present Iman), which means to recite the Kalimah i.e. that there
is no God but Allah and Mohammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is His Messenger,
2. Imam Matlub (desired Iman), which means to believe in the Oneness of Allah,
to do what He has ordered us to do and abstain from doing what He dislikes.
It is mentioned in the Holy Quran, that when the people of Banu Asad, recited
the Kalimah and said that, we are now believers, Allah denied their claim and
said:
“The desert Arabs say, “We believe.” Say, “You believe not but you only say, ‘We
have submitted our will to Allah,’ for Faith has not entered your hearts. But if
you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not decrease anything in reward for
your deeds. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (49:14)
So let’s look into our hearts and see, has Iman entered our hearts? Are we
obeying Allah and His Messenger صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم in everything we do?
Allah mentions the traits of a true believer in the Holy Quran:
“For believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their
hearts, and when His verses are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses)
increase their faith and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone). Who
establish regular As-Salat and spend out of that We have provided them. It is
they who are the believers in truth. For them are grades of dignity with their
Lord, and forgiveness, and a generous provision (Paradise).”
Such were the sahabahs of Rasulullah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, the true believers, for
whom Allah and His Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم were more important than
themselves, their families and their wealth; those who stood up to fight in the
name of Allah whenever called, those who left their wives and children and went
across the borders of Arabia to spread the religion of Allah, to spread the
knowledge of the Holy Quran, to spread the sacred, precious words of our dear
Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. Such were the people who were aided by Allah
whenever they confronted their enemies. Allah says in the Holy Quran:
“If ye return (to the attack), so shall We return.” (8:19)
Here Allah سبحانہ وتعالی warns the Kuffar that if they come back with their army
to fight the Muslims, Allah is will also come back with the Muslims.
Thus, now we, the Muslim Ummah of today, who testify to the Oneness of Allah,
but spend our lives according to our wishes, who are engrossed in the glitter of
the fleeting comforts and have forgotten the Eternal world, we who give lame
excuses to our conscience to silence it and commit sins boldly, we can judge the
strength of our Imans ourselves. Our lives do not resemble at all the life of
Rasulullah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم or those of his sahabah. We have Iman Mojud only
but if want to gain dominance over the enemies of Islam, we’ll have to step on
our nafs, and convert this Iman Mojud into Iman Matlub. Only then, and only then
will we cease to be the crushed, tortured and disrespected people.